Unlike most years,
the 2012 LTC concluded
on March 1—the same day
that almost 100 new ALPA
leaders began their
three-year terms of
office. Even as the
meeting was wrapping up,
most attendees were
already preparing to
conduct council business
once they returned home.

Speakers at the
four-day conference told
the reps and officers
that union service can
be hard, exhausting
work, but pilot leaders
will earn the respect of
their members if they
focus on planning ahead,
setting realistic goals,
communicating
effectively, and taking
full advantage of the
Association’s array of
resources.

President Obama’s 2013
budget blueprint cut the
funding for the FFDO
program by more than
half and also cut $36
million from the FAMS
program. This is
unsatisfactory and needs
to be remedied.

The
FFDO program is a
critical and
cost-efficient airline
security program staffed
by thousands of fully
trained and deputized
ALPA pilots who
volunteer their time to
become qualified FFDOs,
contributing personal
and professional
sacrifices to secure our
flight decks. In light
of its already barely
adequate funding levels,
any budget reduction to
the FFDO program could
very well lead to its
ultimate demise.
Tell your representative
today to oppose cuts to
the FFDO and FAMS in the
FY2013 budget.

When dealing with
terrorism, the deterrent
value of an armed
presence within the
cockpit cannot be
overstated. Today,
thousands of fully
trained and deputized
ALPA pilots defend more
than 100,000 flight
segments per month. ALPA
appreciates the inherent
difficulties of reducing
our federal budget
deficit.

Media
analysts have observed
that growing numbers of
people are turning off
their televisions and
turning on their
computers to get news,
view movies, and watch
programs like ALPA’s
monthly video
production, The
FlightDeck .
Accessible 24/7 at
flightdeck.alpa.org,
The FlightDeck
features aviation
industry news for ALPA
members, industry
stakeholders, and the
traveling public.

With more than a
dozen episodes
completed, we want to
know what you think.
Please take a moment to
answer five simple
questions about The
FlightDeck and
let us know how we can
make this program
better.

From
today’s IFALPA Daily
News, the
International Air
Transport Association
has announced its global
traffic results for
January, showing a 5.7
percent year-on-year
rise in passenger
demand, a slight
increase on the 5.6
percent increase
recorded the previous
month. However, January
saw an 8 percent decline
in air freight compared
to the same month in
2011. IATA explained
that the Chinese New
Year occurring in
January, rather than in
February as in 2011,
“exaggerated the
increase in passenger
demand and the fall in
air freight.”

“The year started
with some hopeful news
on business confidence.
It appears that freight
markets have stabilized,
albeit at weak levels.
And this is having a
positive impact on
business-related travel.
However, airlines face
two big risks: rising
oil prices and Europe’s
sovereign debt crisis.
Both are hanging over
the industry’s fortunes
like the sword of
Damocles,” said IATA’s
director general and CEO
Tony Tyler.

“Running an airline
in today’s uncertain
economic climate is a
tough job. Some
well-known names—Spanair
and Malev—disappeared in
January. At the same
time, we know that
demand for air travel
will grow as the global
economy recovers and
requires even greater
connectivity. The
billions of dollars in
commercial orders placed
at the recent Singapore
Airshow demonstrate that
airlines are
strategically investing
to meet that demand with
ever-more fuel efficient
and environmentally
sustainable aircraft,”
he added.

The
School of Aerospace
Engineering at Georgia
Tech is seeking
glass-qualified airline
pilots to participate in
simulator-based research
into aviation safety
with a focus on
supporting the pilot in
busy air traffic
environments. The
simulator is simple,
based on desktop
computers, and any
current glass-cockpit
Part 121 or Part 135
pilot is welcome.

The
research is being
conducted at Georgia
Tech in Atlanta, and
lasts four hours plus
breaks. Participants
will each receive a $200
stipend in addition to
reimbursement for
on-campus parking. Any
transportation and
lodging costs are the
responsibility of the
pilot volunteer, and
sessions are currently
being scheduled for
dates starting March 3
and running through
March.

• Bloomberg reports that U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he’ll
meet with officials of FedEx and UPS to urge the two cargo airlines to adopt
pilot-fatigue rules imposed on passenger carriers.
Read more.

• According to CBS Money Watch, flight attendants at United Airlines approved a
new contract on Tuesday that puts the airline a step closer to combining those
workers with their colleagues from Continental.
Read more.

• ABC News reports that airlines raised fares last week for the third time this
year.
Read more.

• AvWeb notes that Joe Ayoob, a former college quarterback at UC Berkeley,
recently set a new world record for paper airplane flying.
Read more.

On March 7, 1942, ALPA advised the U.S. Army that ALPA pilots would be willing
to fly up to 100 hours per month (instead of the standard 85) to support the
U.S. war effort during World War II. Legislation temporarily suspending the
85-hour rule was signed by President Franklin Roosevelt the following month.

If you have moved or changed your ISP or e-mail
address, please update your ALPA records. If you don’t, you
will no longer receive the ALPA FastRead and other e-mail bulletins and notices,
and once your postal forwarding order expires, you’ll no longer receive the
magazine and other ALPA mail. You can do it yourself by going to
www.alpa.org and logging
in. Go to “My ALPA” in the menu at the top of the page, and from there, you’ll be
instructed how to make the necessary changes.

If you don’t have access to the
members-only section of
www.alpa.org, you can
e-mail your requests by sending them to
membership@alpa.org. Be sure to include your member number or enough other
information so that we can identify you in the membership database, and tell us
what information needs to be updated.

Please note that it is not sufficient
just to notify your LEC or MEC of these changes—you should register them with
the ALPA Membership Department in Herndon.

Can’t remember your member number
or how to log in? Need information about your ALPA insurance programs? These and
other questions about ALPA services can be answered by contacting
membership@alpa.org.